The Secrets These Walls Hold
by Melancholy-Arts
Summary: When Alfred and Mathew are forced to live with their father in some new house and place, they come to discover some things that they wish they never had.


**Warning: **Exploration, murder, creepy theme, crazy father, horror

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia or anyone of its characters.

**Pairing: **There is no actual pairing in this, but the main characters are Alfred [America], Mathew [Canada], and Arthur [England]

**Summary: **Two boys are forced to move away from their mother in New York to go live with their father who has moved the three of them to some place in England. The boys suspect that a divorce has been established, and that was the reason why they were forced to move away and to a whole new place. The house is a gorgeous place, large and fitted so neatly with details, but it gives Alfred the creeps just being around it, let alone in it. What the boys soon come to realize is that they won't be seeing their mother very often anymore, nor their father after they discover what's happened.

**Author's Notes: **This is a one-shot that I wrote based off of a dream I had. I liked the dream so much, and it was actually about these three characters, that it was too perfect of a chance to just pass up. Oh, and as an added note here... This is _just_ a one-shot story. No updates, no more chapters. Just this one chapter. Continuing it would just ruin it, so please respect my choice.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

They didn't understand why at first.

They were a fine, happy family back at the house with their mother, so why did their father feel the need to take the twins away?

He took them to a new house. A new place. Hell, even a whole new country. The boys didn't know why.

Their mother seemed indifferent on them leaving even, almost as if she didn't care that they were leaving for good. That wasn't the mother they knew.

She seemed happy that the twins were gone, that their father was gone, and that she was now alone and free from worry and stress—or so they assumed.

They sat in the car then. The two boys in the backseat, ages sixteen, while their father drove in the front.

The ride was quiet. The ride was long. Along the way the twins in the back even ended up falling asleep for a good while.

It wasn't until they were at the new place that they were gently nudged awake and met with the tired, yet forcibly smiling face of their father.

He ushered the boys out of the vehicle.

They took their things into their hands, so did their father, and then the three of them made their way up to the new house.

It was large, and on top of its massive size it was full of life all around the architecture of the building; trees and shrubbery and flowers and vines all mingling together. Even the house itself just on the outside was in outstanding detail; just imagine the inside of it.

To Alfred the place looked medieval though.

And to Mathew the place looked like it came right from a fairytale.

To their father… Well, the boys couldn't read his mind or features, so neither one knew how he felt about the place. In fact, they were still confused on why he had brought them there to begin with.

They were well on their way to becoming adults, meaning they weren't stupid, gullible, naive, little children who couldn't catch on. Alfred guessed it was a divorce. That saddened Mathew, but he realized that his twin had a point. At first they were confused, but now the two just confirmed the fact that their family was falling apart.

"Ok, boys…" Their father finished walking up the porch steps and then stopped, turning and facing the twins with a smile. "This is our new home from now on. I know your mother and I never explained to you what was going on, but—"

"You're getting a divorce, right?" Alfred cut in. The look he gave his father was an un-amused, yet satisfied that he may be right kind of look.

The older man just stared at his son for a moment, stunned by his boldness.

You'd think he'd be used to that by now though.

"Alfred…" Their father just shook his head and sucked in a quick breath, "Just come inside. I will explain everything to you boys soon enough." He walked to the front door, pulling a few keys out from his pockets, and then shuffled around to find the right one… When he found the correct one, he unlocked the door and pushed both of them open. He took a step back, facing his sons. "Come and take a gander at your new house. The three of us will be here for awhile."

Alfred just stared at their father for a moment, but when the doors were thrust open and the older man was waiting for his sons to go in first, Mathew took the initiative and grabbed Al's arm. He pulled his sibling up the porch steps and into the main hall of the house where the two stopped dead in their tracks and stared in awe—arm in arm.

The place was even more gorgeous on the inside than the outside. The walls were lined with silver trim in intricate designs and creations. The wallpaper itself was a deep maroon color fitted with small, floral designs all across its showing surface. And the furniture, all the furniture, was a deep mahogany fitted with engraved designs matching those on the trim and walls. It really was like a castle out of a fairytale book, only with a darker twist to it like Alfred figured.

It may have been gorgeous, but both the boys were a little skeptical of it.

They came from an average family. Not poor, yet not rich. They could afford nice things like a house of descent size, two cars, and a good education, but a house such as this must have been a fortune. How could their father, alone, afford such grandeur?

The twins were shot out of their thoughts when they felt a hand clasp on each of their shoulders. Their father was smiling down at them. "It's fairly big, and two stories plus a basement, but I'll show you to your room, or rooms if you want separate, and then give you a little tour. I've been here a few times before when I was looking at it, so I know my way around a little."

"I think we'll be good to wander around ourselves," Mathew chimed in, giving their father a look that meant he was ok to be left alone, with his twin, to go 'adventure' as his brother may call it.

"I want a room together," Alfred added in real fast.

Their father let out a sigh, "Ok, ok… A room together. I'll show you both to it and then let you get your own feel for the place. I've got a few people coming over soon anyway so I need to unpack before they arrive." He moved his hands back to his sides and walked passed the boys, heading up the steps to the right of the room. When he reached the top of them, he took a left and headed down that hallway.

All the while the older man walked, his sons trailed after him until they came to a sudden halt before a neatly decorated, wooden door. When their father reached out and opened it, he held the door open for the twins and smiled like before. "And here you are, boys. Your room. Two beds, one dresser, a closet, but plenty of floor space. I had a feeling you two would be wanting to stay together in a room, especially in a place so new and vast such as this."

Alfred went in first, throwing his items down on the bed of his choice and leaving the other bed to his sibling, who slowly walked in behind him.

The room was pretty plain, and the furniture resembled the same style and kind as the items they'd seen in the entry hall and the hallway on their way up. The only difference was that the trim was brown and the walls were painted a light, cream color.

"Make yourselves at home and be careful when roaming. This place may look refurbished, because it is, but it's still old and rickety. I'll be in the study downstairs. Need anything, find me and bug me there, I won't mind." He walked into the room a bit and held out his arms, making a motion with his hands to his children to show he wanted them to come closer to him. "Give your old man a hug." When they did, he held them tight for a moment before letting them go and stepping out of the room. "I love you both, and I'll explain everything tonight at dinner." With that and an added smile he left the hall completely, heading back down the steps and to the study where he said he would be.

Mathew and Alfred looked to one another after their father left them alone; exchanging glances of concern briefly. The two then left the room.

"Where to explore first?" Alfred looked down the hallway where their father left to, and then looked down to the other part of the hallway they'd not yet seen. "This way?" He pointed in the direction he was talking about.

"Sure," Mathew moved and started walking down that part hallway, looking around in somewhat awe. The place was decorated so neatly that the Canadian teen had a hard time peeling his eyes away from it all. Whoever built the place did a splendid job.

On the other hand, Alfred was terrified of the place. It reminded him of one of those horror movies he used to watch back at home.

As he walked along the hallway with his brother at his side, he looked about the darkened rooms he passed, some of the doors open and some of them closed, with a terrified gleam in his eyes. Who knew what lurked in the dark.

"So…" Mathew spoke up then, turning around and looking at his brother for a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Dad won't tell us what happened with him and Mom."

"He said he'd tell us at dinner, didn't he? But maybe he's just upset about the fact that they got a divorce and doesn't want to talk about it, or he thinks we're too soft to handle the truth? Though he already knows that we know, since I kind of let that slip when we were outside…" Alfred scratched the back of his head and gave his twin a funny look.

Mathew just shrugged. His brother had a point there. He continued walking a few more feet until one of the doors caught his eye along the right side of the hallway. He stopped before it, a double door entrance to some vast room beyond—or so the Canadian figured. No small room had a grand entrance such as this one. He reached his hands out to the silver knobs and took them within his palms, twisting them and pushing them inward to reveal the room beyond.

It was the library, and by God was it larger than the Canadian would have ever thought. His guess was that it took up most of that side of the second floor… And the first floor. His eyes must have gotten huge from the sight alone—amazement and awe setting in as he walked through the doors and into the enormous room.

Alfred followed after his brother, but by the time he went in after him, the fellow blond was gone down some steps and examining the contents on various shelves along the way.

"Hey, don't leave me up here alone while you go off and read a damn book!" Alfred hurried along down the stairs, following after his brother so as not to lose him. This house still gave him the creeps, and they hadn't even been there for an hour yet.

O~O~O

Dinner was quiet that night.

Their father told them that he would explain, but he never did and they never asked.

They had their own theories, their own ideas on this problem, and if their father really didn't want to talk about it then so be it.

Even after dinner their father just said his goodnights and gave them each a hug before going off to his own room. The boys did the same.

Neither spoke to one another once in their bedroom. They just changed into their pajamas, crawled into bed, and slept until the sun came up and was shining in through the window.

Alfred was the first to wake that morning, rolling over onto his backside and staring up at the ceiling. He didn't want to get up just yet, but the sun was making a different tune there and was forcing the young American to rise. Not to mention that the moment Alfred swung over his legs off the side of his bed a knock came from the door.

After a moment, the door just opened and in came their father.

"Oh," He showed a nervous smile, "Did I wake you?"

"No," Alfred rubbed his eyes and leaned his elbows on his knees, glancing toward his father as he waited to hear his excuse as to why he was here so early in the morning.

"Uhm, yes, I came here to tell you boys something." He took a step into the room and gently closed the door; still leaving it open a little bit.

By that time, Mathew was slowly sitting up, rubbing at his eyes to further wake himself as he looked over at their father with a drowsy expression. He too was wondering why he was here so damn early—or at least it seemed early to them.

"Well, you may see some new faces around here starting in a few hours or so. The house is so vast that I need help taking care of it, so I hired a few helping hands. That was the company I was having over yesterday." He smiled at his sons softly, and then turned around and pulled the door back open, giving his sons one last look, "I thought I should warn the two of you, so I'll be off now." And he left, closing the door behind himself.

Alfred looked over at his brother once their father left, raised an eyebrow, and then stood up to his feet as he crossed his arms. "Some new faces?" He walked over to the door and poked his head out, and then retreated back into the room. "Wonder what kind of help."

"I'm sure the typical kind of help—a maid or two, butler perhaps…" Mathew stood up and rubbed his eyes. "Probably a cook or two even."

"Hm…" The American moved over to his suitcase and flipped it open, pulling out a pair of jeans. He slipped them on, and then replaced the shirt he had on with a fresh one as he turned back to face his sibling.

Mathew was still in the process of getting ready himself.

"Well, I'm down for some breakfast and then adventuring, you?"

"I'm ok with the breakfast part, but no adventures today, Al. I'd like to unpack some." Mathew finished pulling his shirt on over his head after pulling on a pair of jeans, and then looked to his twin with one brow raised.

Alfred was pouting at the Canadian, but he couldn't exactly argue with him. If he didn't want to then he wouldn't, no matter how much he begged him to go explore with him.

He gave his brother another funny look, but then shrugged his shoulders. "Good enough for me." The house wasn't so bad when it was daytime, but at night… It was a completely different matter. He moved from his place by his suitcase and followed Mathew out of the room, heading down the hall and down the steps until they came to a halt.

Their father said it would be a few hours or so until the servants came, yet there was a maid in the main entry hall already.

The boys watched her, but continued on their way to the dining hall to see if there was any breakfast. Much to their surprise there was actually breakfast set on the table and their father was already seated at one of the chairs. That was the real surprise there.

The twins made their way to the table and took their own seats beside one another across from their father.

"Hello boys," He nodded to each of them and showed a smile, and then picked up his fork to resume his eating. "The cook will bring out your plates in a moment. And yes, a cook was one of the people I hired to help. Can't keep buying out to eat like I did last night." He laughed some.

The chef came out a few moments later as if on cue, placing down two plates of food—one before Alfred and the other before Mathew. He left afterwards, and the boys started in on their meal without any questions asked. It was strange to have a cook though, and to have said cook bring their food to them and have the table already set. It didn't feel at home with this sort of set up, but not like either of the boys could really complain.

Breakfast passed just as quietly as dinner had the previous night, and their father was done and gone, having excused himself first before the boys were even done with their meals. Once they had finished though, Mathew went off to their room to do what he said he would, un pack his belongings, and Alfred went off to go adventure on his own.

The first place he decided to go to was the downstairs hallway to the right of the stairs. That was the section where the lower part of the library was, but the other rooms he was unsure of. So, he went to the first door he found along the hallways walls and opened it.

Al he found was an empty supply closet; nothing worth investigating.

He moved on down the hall, going to the second door on the left part of the hall. When he opened that one, he found a rather large sitting room.

Now that was a place worth checking out, more so than an old, dusty closet filled with nothing but creepy-crawlies and webs probably.

He entered the sitting room and left the door open, walking to the nearest wall where he spotted a light switch and flicked it on. The chandelier in the center of the room came to life and lit up the furniture all around, giving Alfred some light to work with as he further examined the interesting room.

It was neatly decorated and held a single sofa, two chairs, and a nifty little coffee table nestled in between the three items of furniture used for sitting. Aside from that, a rug was beneath them all, making the floor a little softer versus the hardwood below it.

As the American walked around some more, passing the furniture in the middle of the room, he saw a fireplace in the far back, along with paintings and pictures hung up along the peach walls in fancy frames and glass.

That was about it for interesting things in the room, and soon after making a good lap around the whole room itself, he grew bored and so exited. Upon leaving, he closed the door behind himself and moved along the hall, this time going over to the opposite side and opening up the door he knew led to the library. He hadn't checked the place out on his own yet, and last time he was too freaked out about losing Mathew and being alone in the dark, creepy mansion that he didn't really examine things like he had wanted.

He pushed open the double doors, same set that resembled the ones just upstairs, and took a step inside, closing both behind himself as he further entered the vast room. He let his eyes roam, taking in the amount of detail the room had to offer him and, frankly, was captured in awe by it. This place was beautiful, but that didn't prevent it from giving the young American the spooks.

He walked over to the center of the room where a sofa, a love seat, and a few chairs were scattered about with a few tables and took a seat on one of them—the sofa. He sat right in the middle and pulled his knees up to his chest as he continued to look about the room from his perch.

There was no reason to sitting down there, he just felt the need and it beat exploring the whole damn room… The room was far too large for him, and he'd more than likely grow bored of his search and exploring before he even started to begin.

"I hope you do know that in order to actually read one of these, a book, you have to actually pick it up."

The American boy jumped nearly ten feet into the air from hearing the sudden voice. It wasn't even one he recognized either—it was English.

When he swiveled his head around to look at the new visitor, his heartbeat going about twenty times faster than it should, he was met with the vivid green gaze of some nicely dressed male.

The new man just showed a small smile as he took his place upon one of the chairs, looking toward the young man. "It helps too if you pick out a book instead of just sitting here empty handed."

"U-uh…" Alfred stuttered out, not too sure how to respond to such a phrase. Was it sarcastic? Insulting? Teasing? He couldn't quite tell, so he settled for not saying anything until the man further explained himself.

"Ah, pardon me. I'm sure your father warned you of a few helping hands showing up relatively soon. I'm one of those. I keep the library here in order and do a few paperwork related things. The name is Arthur Kirkland, and I'm going to guess that you are one of Mr. Jones' sons?"

"Uhm, yeah, Alfred is the name. Nice to meet you, Arthur?" He was a little unsure if this was a nice meeting, but he supposed it was. Despite him getting quite the fright from the other, he seemed to be all right and harmless. "So, you're like the librarian?"

"Pretty much, yes." The man, Arthur, stood up then. "It was nice meeting you too, Alfred. And do forgive me for giving you a scare. I didn't mean too."

"It's ok," The American nodded his head to add to his reassurance. He was a little jumpy, so him getting frightened by such a silly thing such as the other man talking to him in a quiet room where he thought he was alone was quite plausible.

"Yes, well, I shall be off then." The Englishman stood up from his seat, nodded toward Alfred, and then began to walk away.

Alfred stood up as well, "Wait, Mr. Kirkland."

"Do call me Arthur," The blond man stopped and turned, looking to the young man. He raised a thick eyebrow and waited for him to speak.

"Uh, right, Arthur… Since you're hired help, do you live here now?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Does that matter?" Arthur's brow rose even higher as he gave the American a skeptical look.

"Kind of… I don't want to barge into your room one day when I'm exploring the house…" He flashed a sheepish smile.

"Ah, yes. I did hear stories from your father about how adventurous you are, more so than your brother." Arthur crossed his arms, "Second floor, left hallway. I'm in a room near the end of the hall."

"I'll be sure to stay away from there then."

Arthur just nodded and showed a small smile before he turned away and continued to walk on, delving deeper into the library and its shelves.

Alfred watched him until he was gone from view completely, and then rushed toward the stairs and up them. Once at the top, he made his way through the exit doors and toward his room where, upon entering, he found Mathew still unpacking.

The Canadian looked up when he heard the door, "Done already?"

"I found another hired staff," He walked into the room all the way and closed the door, "Scared me shitless."

"How?"

"Walked up behind me when I thought I was alone and started talking. He was a local, so his accent betrayed that is."

"He scared you by his accent?" Mathew raised an eyebrow.

"No, not his accent, him being there so suddenly."

"Where were you?"

"Library, on the couch," Alfred walked past his sibling, who was on the floor unpacking his second suitcase, and took a seat on his bed.

"Oh," Matt went back to what he was doing, taking out a few shirts and placing them down on the carpeted floor. "So is that why you're back?"

"Cause I got scared? Kind of, but I was also just done exploring. It's kind of boring when you're alone." He was hinting at the fact that his twin didn't go with him and he was still bummed about that.

"Yeah, boring alone, I can only imagine." The Canadian showed a small smile, proving that he was merely teasing the other blond. "I'll go with you next time, ok?"

Alfred nodded and moved his feet up onto his bed, lying back on the comforter with his head on his pillow and his arms behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, not noticing he had nodded off until he was woken up for lunch a few hours later by his brother.

O~O~O

Weeks had passed since that day and the boys were finally all settled into their new home—their things unpacked and such. They had gotten used to the staff roaming around aimlessly and working, and they also got used to the fact that their father always seemed to be busy and locked away in his study. It didn't bother Alfred and Mathew too much about that; they had each other at least.

It was a Tuesday though, and the boys were feeling a little bored. There wasn't much to do during the winter, and especially not when it was just you and your brother and an old, large, cold house.

They decided on more adventuring, having come to the realization that there really was nothing else to do.

O~O~O

It was later in the evening, just after dinner, when they finally decided on going out to explore like they had discussed before. Alfred hated the place at night, but Mathew had convinced him that it was better at night so everyone was away in bed, so they could see someone coming if they happened to cross someone's path. They may have had free roam of the house for the most part, but they still needed to take their precautions in the matter.

Mathew descended the steps first, followed closely behind by Alfred as they made it to the first floor. It was near the steps where they saw a door that was cracked open some, firelight crackling through the open doorway and shining into the darkened hallway. As the boys made their way passed the door, they glanced toward it and caught a glimpse inside where they saw their father and some man speaking close together.

However, it was the unknown man who turned around and spotted the sons lurking about the dark, their faces illuminated by the beam of light the fire threw into the hall they were in. He stood up from where he was seated, and made his way to the door. Behind him the twins could hear their father asking something, but all they could hear was when the unknown man spoke.

"Oh nothing. I just feel a chill coming in from the open door. Closing it so I won't get distracted is all." He stared out the crack for a few seconds until he closed the door and the boys heard his footsteps going back to his seat just beyond the wooden blockade.

Mathew looked to Alfred for a moment, a brow rising the slightest though it was hard to see such an act in the darkness of the hall. The firelight had produced a little light, but now it was gone.

Alfred just shrugged and whispered over to his brother, "That was weird, but whatever. Let's keep going."

"Going where?"

"Library? Place is big enough and if we're caught there it's ok. It's a library."

Mathew didn't complain as he took the lead once more, taking hold of his brother's hand so they could easier navigate through the hallway without getting seperated. Much to their luck, finding the library doors was easy and they found it within minutes, emerging into the room and closing the wooden door behind them. Al was the one who flicked on the main lights of the whole room, scattering light all throughout the large space.

"There we go." The American walked over to his brother and smiled, though Mathew was wearing a frown on his features and Al mimicked it with one of his own. "What's up?"

"Dad."

"What about him?"

"Well, that man actually. The one we just saw with Dad."

"Then I should ask… What about _them_?"

"That was weird."

"What was weird?" An eyebrow rose as the American stared at his brother.

"Do you not pay attention, Al?"

"I do, just I don't understand what you're getting at with this."

"What he said, when he saw us, and the fact that he did see us yet didn't say anything to Dad. What do you think was going on in there?" Mathew wore a concerned expression, and then turned away from the American and the door as he made his way passed the shelves of books and toward the small sitting area. He took a seat on one of the chairs as Alfred, who had followed behind him, sat on the love seat.

"My guess? Dad went gay. That's why he left Mom, and that's why he won't tell us the truth. He's embarrassed."

"Dad's not gay," Mathew gave his sibling a serious look.

"Oh really? And how would you know that?"

"That—well—I… I don't know."

"Exactly. We were right about the divorce. I saw the paperwork in Dad's office the other day. I went in to ask him something and he wasn't there. They were just lying there on his desk in plain view. I was right about that, so why wouldn't I be right about this?" Alfred gave Matt his own serious look. It made sense—to him at least.

"The divorce is logical, but him being gay? That's just ridiculous."

"How? We've seen Mom and Dad falling apart for awhile now. First they grew distant, and then they began to go out seeing other people. I never saw Dad with another woman though." The American teen continued to try and defend his point, but the truth was that he couldn't quite believe it himself.

"Never saw Mom with another man either, what's that make her?"

"That's not the point here; we're talking about Dad, not Mom."

"So?"

Mathew just shook his head, "I'm done talking about this. It's ridiculous."

"Fine," Alfred leaned back in the seat, arms crossed over his chest as he looked away from his sibling. He wasn't too sure on why their father was being so secretive; the whole assumption of him being into the same gender was just to poke fun, but… He brushed the stupid thoughts away.

It was only when Mathew stood up and excused himself to their room that Alfred actually looked back toward him and watched him as he left up the steps and out the door.

The feeling of loneliness settled in soon after, and it didn't help that, despite the lighting in the room, it was still dark in most places.

He stood up, about ready to follow after Mathew, when a soft, yellow-ish light caught his attention. When he moved closer toward it, he found the Englishman Arthur sitting at a desk in the far back of the room with a small lamp on. He was reading a book and a few files were neatly stacked in front of him. Seemed like he was working, but it grew to late and so he read instead—Alfred guessed that he couldn't sleep.

He was half tempted to just up and leave, but something compelled him to stay, and so he found himself walking toward the man seated behind the desk.

"This time it's my turn to sneak up on you."

Arthur turned in his seat casually, looking at Alfred with a small smile on his face. "I knew you were here already. You and your brother aren't quiet; I can assure you of that." He turned the upper right corner of the page he was on, saving where he was, and then closed it and placed it down on the desk.

"So you know what we were talking about?"

"No, I only heard you talking. I wasn't listening."

Alfred let out a sigh of relief. This man was one of his father's workers, so if it was heard what he and his brother were talking about… He probably would have told him and ratted on them. Or perhaps he wouldn't have, but Alfred wouldn't know.

When he looked over at Arthur and noticed that he was getting a weird look from the man, he played off his calming nerves with a small smile and changed the topic. "So, why are you up?"

"Doing some work for your father that I finished about an hour ago. I should be asking you the same thing as well though."

"Couldn't sleep…"

"I see…" Arthur gave the standing male a funny look, and then turned and grabbed up the folders, placing them away into his bag followed by the book he was reading. When he looked back up, he raised a thick eyebrow at the young man. "Was that the case with your brother as well?"

"That he couldn't sleep? Yeah…" The American nodded and shifted from one foot to the other, keeping his eyes on Arthur. He fidgeted a little, for some reason his nerves getting the better of him again. Though, when he said that he couldn't sleep, he meant that. He wasn't feeling the least bit of tired yet and it was nearing eleven o' clock, or so he guessed. Last he looked it was almost ten, and it felt like an hour had gone by since then.

Arthur stood up and looked over the younger blond, taking his bag in hand. That eyebrow that was raised previously was up again—an awkward silence had fallen between them, until Alfred broke it.

"Uhm, right… I'll let you go." He gave a nervous smile, and then turned and left the area, going back to the love seat he was on before.

Arthur watched him briefly, tempted to leave, until he stopped and joined the other male, only on the couch. He placed his bag down and looked over at the young man. "I'm in no hurry. I suppose I can stay and keep you company for a little bit." He showed a small smile, and in turn he got one from Alfred as well.

The two of them stayed up for a good while and talked until finally they parted for bed a good few hours later.

O~O~O

Another set of weeks passed, and within that time Alfred had been finding himself in the company of Arthur more often than once. He enjoyed being around the man, despite him being rather uptight. He was interesting to talk and listen too. Then again, maybe it was just Al's liking to the British accent that kept him so interesting in the other man when he spoke to him, and not to mention the stories he told him.

Within those weeks as well, Mathew had been doing his share of snooping around while Alfred was too caught up with his own things. He'd found out quite a few new things about the unknown man, including his name, his job, and his relation to their father—the man was a hit man, a hired murderer, and it wasn't secret relations he was having with their father like Alfred thought, they were up to something.

Upon one of Mathew's trips to their father's study when the older man was out, he came across not only the divorce papers that Alfred had seen once before, but contracts and liabilities that their father had probably had hidden from them at some point. The Canadian couldn't quite put things together there, unsure on what their father had planned, but he didn't hesitate to tell his brother as soon as he saw the other male.

When that chance did some, Alfred was in their room, getting ready to go to bed, when Mathew walked in and closed the door casually behind himself. Right as Al went to go turn the light off, Mathew stopped him and gave him a serious look.

Alfred just looked at him irritably, "What?"

"I know vaguely what's going on."

"What?"

"With Dad, and that man."

That caught the American's attention. "Go on."

"He's a hired hit man… I don't know what Dad plans on using him for, but I know that much at least." Mathew took a seat on his own bed, facing his brother.

"A hired hit man?"

The older twin just nodded his head.

Alfred kicked the covers off of his legs and swung them over the edge, leaning his elbows on his knees as he examined his brother's expression—it was still quite serious.

"So what you're saying is that Dad hired some man, some murderer, and is planning to use him for something? Now this is nuts. You thought my theory on him being gay was ridiculous, yet here you are spewing this crap?"

"I have proof! Or at least… I saw the proof in Dad's office."

"Sure. I'm going to bed. Good night, Mathew." With that, Alfred returned to his place under his covers and turned away, his back to his sibling as he tried to fall asleep.

"Fine, don't believe me, but when something bad happens just know that I was right in the end, Al."

O~O~O

By the end of that week, Alfred came to the realization that his brother was wrong—about some of it.

That man wasn't a hit man; he was a lawyer from their mother coming to tell their father about the terms and conditions regarding their divorce. Why Mathew thought it _was_ a hit man was beyond Alfred, but he supposed that he had found enough evidence proving such a ridiculous thing? Or he just made a mistake. A big, drastic mistake.

The thing that neither of the boys was expecting was when their father came into their room one night, flinging open the door without a second thought and came barging in. It startled the twins awake, and when they came to from their sleep induced haze, they saw their father standing in the doorway. He looked distraught, but he told the boys that he would be back by morning and then left just as quickly as he had came.

The twins exchanged a concerned glance, but remained in bed instead of going after their father. He seemed a little unstable, so neither one of them wanted to go after him…

The part that Mathew was right about was the 'something bad happening' part of it.

First their father didn't show up back home that morning he said he would. He returned a few days later, and in the time he was gone the servants took care of the boys. Mainly Arthur took care of them, since he was the one who did the paperwork and currently the supplier of said work was away—that and he rather enjoyed the company of the two boys.

When their father did return, that was when the two realized that the man was a hysterical mess and something was horribly wrong.

The twins questioned him on where he had been and what was going on, but all he did was apologize for being so late and then rushed off to his study without another word. The encounter only further confused the two blonde's, but they went off to their room and didn't bother their dad anymore that night.

Later that same night, a knock came from their door. It woke both of them up, but the one who actually got up and answered it, pulling the door open, was Alfred.

Arthur was standing at the doorway, his hair untidy and thrown about, and he was missing his usual tie and overcoat. As if he'd just woken up or was in too much of a hurry to care about his current appearance.

Alfred just raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah?"

"Pack your things."

"What?"

"You two are getting out of here. Now. Before your father finds out."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're in quite a bit of danger here now, what with your father back and lurking around in a deranged mess."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Arthur." Alfred furrowed his brows.

"Pack your things. Both of you. Then come with me." The Englishman really couldn't be any clearer here.

When all he got was a blank look from the younger man, he pushed his way inside and closed the door behind him. When he spoke, his voice was hushed. "I know why your father was gone for those few days." He waited, and all he got in response was tired stares from Alfred and Mathew both. He continued, "He went to see your mother back in New York. How I know this? I overheard him talking about the ticket he bought. A round-trip. He was telling the lawyer in his study all about it." He cleared his throat and once again, waited for some sort of response.

"Why are you telling us this?" Mathew was the one who spoke up from his bed this time.

"Because he didn't just go to _see_ your mother, he… Well, you two won't be visiting her at all from now on…" Arthur cleared his throat for a second time, waiting for the realization to set in.

It took a few moments, but Mathew was the one that finally had it click in his mind.

"You're saying that… That Dad visited our mom and… And…"

"Murdered her? What I've come to the conclusion of, yes. Now, that's why I need you two to pack your things and come with me. I must get you both out of here. It's not safe."

"Wait," Alfred held up a hand, shushing the older man for a moment, "You're saying that our dad killed our mom? Now _that_ is ridiculous."

"My proof here is the lawyer," Arthur defended.

"The lawyer?"

"Yes. I found him in the basement the day your father left. He too was murdered. I figured your father did it because the lawyer was there to discuss their divorce. He probably didn't like the conditions your mother wanted."

"I don't believe thi—"

"Alfred," Mathew interrupted, getting up from the bed and joining his sibling by his side. "Dad has been acting strange for awhile now… Add it all up, it makes sense." He moved away then, going into their closet and pulling down a few suitcases from the high shelf. He placed two on Alfred's bed, and then two on his own. "If what you say is true, Arthur, we're going with you."

Alfred remained stubborn for awhile longer, but when he noticed that Mathew was almost done packing, he started up with his own.

Once they both were done, they followed the Englishman down to the second floor, and then through the front doors. Alfred still found this to be sketchy, but the look on Arthur's face proved that he meant what he said.

The three of them piled into Arthur's car; Arthur in the drivers' side and the boys in the backseat. Before they could leave though, the front door of the house flung open and out came their father, walking to the car with fists clenched at his sides. How he knew that they were leaving was beyond them.

Arthur saw this, and so rolled up his window a good amount, leaving it open enough to talk through, and locked all of the doors just in case.

"What are you doing, Mr. Kirkland?"

"Taking the boys out for a… A late night dinner. The chef went off to bed early tonight since no one was around for dinner and all the leftovers had gone bad."

"Right… Well I'd prefer it if you wouldn't take my boys out, at least not with my permission."

"Yes, and I understand sir—"

"Then let them out. You don't have my permission."

Arthur glanced back at the boys, but he had no choice in the matter of letting them go. He let out a sigh and unlocked the doors just as their father walked to the backseat and opened the door up. Alfred and Mathew both piled out, but they left their belongings in the trunk.

The Englishman just watched as the boys were led back to the house by their father, who glanced back once toward the car once before slamming the front door shut.

Once the three were inside, their father gave both of the boys a serious look before going to his study. Just before he entered the room and closed the door, he stopping in the doorway and turned to look over his shoulder at his sons. "Stay away from that man." And then he was gone.

Mathew looked to his brother with one brow raised, earning a worried look from Alfred.

"I say we go to the basement. We got time, and I'm sure Dad will be in there for awhile. Plenty of time to see the evidence and get the hell out of here if it is all true." Mathew turned to face his brother. When he earned no response, he reached out and took his hand, pulling him away and down the hallway with force. When they came to a certain door, the door he knew belonged to where he was looking for, the Canadian opened it and revealed a staircase that led down to the basement.

Alfred was suddenly very against this idea of them going down there, especially if it came down to the fact that the crime they were told about actually was true. However, the American couldn't say anything for he was already being dragged down the steep steps and into the darkness of the basement.

Once their feet hit solid ground, Mathew walked over to the side wall and flicked on the light. Once the light was filtered through the room, the two of them remained close to one another and looked around, making their way around in their search.

Sadly though, any solid evidence of a murder taking place down there was gone—except for the stains on the concrete floor. They were dark, and seemed to show the efforts of trying to be cleaned away.

That was all the evidence the two needed as they turned on their heels and rushed up the steps to get away from the sight.

It was exact proof of what may have happened, and with how rash and off the rocker their father seemed as of late, it was reasonable to conclude that the man had killed the lawyer and quite possibly their mother too. However, him killing their mom was still pretty far-fetched.

Getting as far away from that house, even if it was to go live with some man they'd only met a good few months ago, was worth it if what the sight they saw and the stories they were told were true.


End file.
